Article Archives - Page 2 of 3 - Applied Buddhist Psychology

Article: Book Review: A Fearless Heart: How the Courage to Be Compassionate Can Transform Our Lives

Applied Buddhist Psychology, Article, Thupten Jinpa

By Isa Gucciardi, Ph.D.

Dr. Thupten Jinpa’s new book, A Fearless Heart: How the Courage to be Compassionate Can Transform our Lives, is a very important new book. For those of you who may think you do not know who Thupten Jinpa is, you probably have met him without realizing it. He has been His Holiness, the Dalai Lama’s principle English language interpreter and translator since 1987.

Article: Reflections on Menla, September 2014

Applied Buddhist Psychology, Article, Robert Thurman

By Isa Gucciardi, Ph.D.

Menla means Medicine Buddha in Tibetan, but I think the esoteric translation must be "magic." Menla Mountain Retreat Center, located in the Catskill Mountains in New York, is a place unto itself. You arrive at Menla Mountain via a narrow road, which has turned off another small road. A sign at the turn off says "Dead End." Perhaps not coincidentally, you are actually entering a crater created several million years ago, when a meteorite filled with all types of unearthly metals crashed into the site. The magnetic field, which still exists there today, is palpable, and it does a good job of interrupting all types of modern communication systems.

Article: The Future of Buddhism in the West

Applied Buddhist Psychology, Article, Inner Wisdom, Isa Gucciardi, Robert Thurman, Thupten Jinpa

By Isa Gucciardi, Ph.D.

Arnold Toynbee, the noted British historian, remarked that the most important event for the West in the twentieth century was to be its encounter with Buddhism. We in the West are still in the early days of this encounter and there are still many facets of this encounter that have yet to be worked out or made evident. Yet, by examining the challenges that have arisen in this encounter, we may be able to discern the trajectory of the future of Buddhism in the West.

Article: The Eightfold Path as an Ethical Compass in the Therapeutic Environment

Applied Buddhist Psychology, Article, Ethics, Inner Wisdom, Personal Responsibility, The Eightfold Path

By Isa Gucciardi, Ph.D.

Ethics is generally defined as a process of determining right and wrong conduct or as the study of morality. In many traditions, both sacred and secular, there is an effort to come up with a set of principles to govern behavior. In many traditions, there is an emphasis on "what bad thing will happen if you don't do the right thing." The motivator to good behavior is fear. This is an effective method of crowd control when the luxury of understanding personal motivation and intention cannot be understood on a case-by-case basis. But it falls short in creating conditions under which people can learn how to truly trust their motivation and intention in making decisions regarding their conduct.

Article: Depth Hypnosis: Where Fierce Compassion and the Path of the Wounded Healer Converge

Applied Buddhist Psychology, Applied Shamanism, Article, Depth Hypnosis, Personal Responsibility, Rites of Passage/Initiation

By Isa Gucciardi, Ph.D.

Dr. Robert Thurman, noted Buddhist scholar, has stated that the future of Buddhism in the West lies in meditational therapies. One such meditational therapy is Depth Hypnosis. Depth Hypnosis is a therapeutic model that incorporates the wisdom of two very ancient healing and spiritual modalities (Buddhism and shamanism) with two more modern approaches (hypnotherapy and transpersonal psychology) to address emotional and spiritual imbalance.

Article: Buddhism, Ethics, and Psychology

Applied Buddhist Psychology, Article, Ethics, Laura Chandler, The Eightfold Path

By Isa Gucciardi, Ph.D. and Laura Chandler

The idea that there is a connection between Buddhism, in particular mindfulness practice that is derived from the principles of the Eightfold Path, and psychology, is not new. There are numerous books, research studies, and even college courses on the subject. Many prominent psychologists, theorists, and scholars have cited the relevance of Buddhism. Leading Buddhist scholar and professor at Columbia University, Robert Thurman, in his book Infinite Life, suggests that Buddhism is the original psychology. Most recently, cognitive psychology has given the most attention to the study of Buddhism, mindfulness practice, and meditation. Yet, interest in these subjects dates back to the origins of the field.

Article: Personal Responsibility: A Buddhist Perspective on Relationship

Applied Buddhist Psychology, Article, Empowered Living, Energetic Patterns, Habits, Inner Wisdom, Karma, Personal Responsibility, Relationships

By Isa Gucciardi, Ph.D.

Relationship forms the core of our experience as humans. We define ourselves and are defined by the nature of our relating. In Buddhism, there is a concept called “interdependence” which postulates that nothing exists independently. Everything exists interdependently. Applying this concept to relationship implies that we do not and cannot exist independently of one another.

Article: Depth Hypnosis and Relationship Counseling

Applied Buddhist Psychology, Article, Depth Hypnosis, Relationships

By Isa Gucciardi, Ph.D.

Depth Hypnosis is a meditational therapy that incorporates many Buddhist principles. Depth Hypnosis weaves these principles into a therapeutic paradigm for individual and couples counseling. This paradigm can be easily digested by westerners who are willing to take the steps to free themselves from the dance of karma.

Article: Understanding the Nature of Suffering and Personal Responsibility: A Buddhist Perspective for the Modern Therapeutic Context

Applied Buddhist Psychology, Article, Personal Responsibility

By Isa Gucciardi, Ph.D.

Buddhism is sometimes viewed as a pessimistic philosophy by the casual observer. Its emphasis on suffering is misunderstood as a misplaced focus for a spiritual path. But, in actuality, Buddhism's focus on suffering actually provides a path out of that suffering. Suffering becomes a vehicle through which one can explore and understand the self.

Article: How to Prepare for 2012 and Beyond

Applied Buddhist Psychology, Article, Empowered Living, Personal Responsibility

By Isa Gucciardi, Ph.D.

As 2012 approaches, more and more people are wondering what is needed to be able to meet the demands of the changes that are prophesied for the winter solstice on December 22, 2012. This date refers to the time when many ancient calendars either run out, or have a shift that creates a dramatic change to the world as we know it.